Stamford police issue alcohol warning

Jonathan Lucas

Published 9:08 pm, Friday, December 26, 2014

STAMFORD -- Police are urging young adults to moderate their drinking after a spike in alcohol-related incidents including the sexual assault of a highly intoxicated 20-year-old woman last week, police said.

Stamford police Lt. Diedrich Hohn said police are seeing an increasing number of young adults in dangerous situations -- passed out in bushes, on the sides of roads and apartment complexes and stumbling in roadways -- on busy nights from Thursdays to Saturdays.

Beyond the obvious traffic and exposure to cold weather dangers, Hohn said too often people are putting themselves at risk of being targeted by thieves or worse.

More Information

Safety tips:Travel in groups and do not get separated from your friends.Carry your cellphone at all times.Never lose sight of your drink.Do not accept drinks from others unless a bartender pours it in front of you.Carry your credit cards on your person and do not leave your purse or wallet unattended. Make sure to retrieve your credit card from the bar at the end the night.If you're intoxicated and you're walking, consider getting a ride from a sober friend or use a taxi or Uber. Do not drink and drive.

On Dec. 20, police broke up an apparent sexual assault of a woman by two men who allegedly picked her up near the University of Connecticut's downtown campus and then dragged her into a Dolsen Place apartment. Police are continuing to investigate to determine if the woman was drugged.

"Since we've seen an uptick, we're really concerned about young adults putting themselves in harm's way," Hohn said. "We've seen the incidents rise to a more disturbing level, so we decided to put out a warning."

Hohn said the increase became noticeable during the summer Alive@Five concerts downtown and have picked up again during the holiday season. He said with more young adults living in the downtown area, more are choosing to walk back to their residences drunk rather than take a cab.

Hohn said the busy drinking nights are usually followed the next day by multiple reports of larcenies and credit card thefts.

"Assaults and robberies have also occurred as perpetrators see a crime of opportunity as the victims are too intoxicated to remember the details of the attack and thus unable to identify the perpetrator or to provide a concise statement to police," Hohn said.